On this day: Bird steals the ball; Russell honored; 76ers sent fishing

On this day, the Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons in the ’87 East Finals with a last second steal by Larry Bird.

It is also the anniversary of the Celtics eliminating the Philadelphia 76ers in a Game 7 win over their Atlantic Division rivals in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.

The 85-75 triumph came via a strong performance by point guard Rajon Rondo, who scored 18 points, 10 rebounds and as many assists, while Kevin Garnett added 18 points and 13 boards of his own.

Paul Pierce chipped in 15 points and 9 rebounds, and forward Brandon Bass scored 16 points as well.

“Last year is in the past,” Rondo said via the Associated Press. “This year we’re a totally different team. We feel we can beat Miami. We got to this point; there’s no doubt in my mind we can. We’ve got to go down there and take care of business.”

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